John Walton - Cell phone editor

Author John WaltonJohn Walton is a student and writer who spends most of his free time fingerpicking an acoustic guitar and authoring biographical snippets in the third-person. He lives with his wife and their cat, who are, like him, compulsive movers/travelers. He is passionate about open source software, learning to speak Thai, and watching poker tournaments on television (WPT).

John's Latest Videos

Present.ly, Yahtzee-style - Android client released

Present.ly, Yahtzee-style - Android client released

Present.ly is a premium micro-blogging platform that allows for file transfers and updates via IM and SMS. It's a bit like Twitter, but geared towards private productivity within smaller groups. This could be a creative collective, a sports team, a small-to-medium business, etc. There's a humorous overview embedded below, but if it sounds interesting to you, definitely check out the more practical video tours at the present.ly site. I was...
Steve Buscemi and Norm MacDonald: Gingerbread

Steve Buscemi and Norm MacDonald: Gingerbread

This commercial came out last Christmas, and is running this year as well. I love Steve Buscemi and Norm MacDonald, so I had to post it. Funny Spot.
Yellowsn0w drops on New Years Eve

Yellowsn0w drops on New Year's Eve

No, no, the world's not ending and I'm not announcing an epic prank. Yellowsn0w is a SIM un-locker for the iPhone 3G. The name might change before release, and I kinda hope it does. MuscleNerd from The iPhone Dev Team has uploaded video proof of the hack. Even when run manually, as seen in the vid, it's quick and easy. As the narrator says, the package will be released on the 31st. Looks like an unbelievably simple download and tap. iEnvy.
Android cupcake sprinkled with slew of little goodies

Android cupcake sprinkled with slew of little goodies

What's at the top of your Android wish list? Video capture? Stereo bluetooth? On-screen QWERTY? Well, a private development branch called cupcake has been merged with the code in the primary Android repository. With it come the aforementioned and many other features and tweaks. There's no date specified when we can plan on seeing these improvements, and cupcake is, as this change list clarifies, a work in progress. However, it also states: "The...

John's Latest Blog Articles & News

Google wants your ideas, votes for future products

Google wants your ideas, votes for future products

Ever heard about Dell's Ideastorm? While lots of features and new products have been implemented thanks to this submission and voting system, Ideastorm itself is probably the most significant concept to emerge from that brilliant spark of inspiration. With it, Dell gained a lot of points in the eyes of many by proving that they really do listen to their customers. Whether or not inspired by Ideastorm, Google has recognized the value of a...
Android-powered netbooks: if, or when?

Android-powered netbooks: if, or when?

The founders of mobile-facts, Matthaus Krzykowski and Daniel Hartmann, have confirmed a suspicion that a few savvy bloggers have expressed since before the release of the G1: that Android can power a netbook. Considering Google's affinity for online apps, it's possible that the light environment could turn a netbook into a thin client, and that Google themselves could port Android and provide a complete application suite without making any...
My take on Samsungs Behold (T-Mobile)

My take on Samsung's Behold (T-Mobile)

Pros: nice look, friendly camera interface, 3G, 5MP, good touchscreen, functions as USB mass storage device. Cons: poor web browsing, GPS is limited to bad bundled app or freebie downloads; no Google Maps. I wanted to get my wife a new phone for Christmas. We are T-Mobile customers, so I called in and said I was looking for a good camera phone that had a full QWERTY; soft or physical. The agent immediately recommended the Behold, and pointed out...
Sorry Zune lovers, no Zunephone at CES

Sorry Zune lovers, no Zunephone at CES

This one may have been speculated and buzzed about even more than the iPhone Nano. And while the tiny Apple handset might be around the bend, an extremely well-situated source has said, straight up, that the Zunephone will not be announced at CES. It may or may not be significant that this person did not rule out the possibility of the existence of said device altogether. In fact, he was very specific in saying that a Zunephone will not be...
Android app review: Movie Finder

Android app review: Movie Finder

The first Android app (that I know of) for finding movies was called Movies and Showtimes. The program would seek information pertinent to your location, which was determined via GPS coordinates or zip code. However, the zip entry never worked for me and I don't like turning my GPS on unless absolutely necessary. The links to imdb reviews and ratings were a nice touch, but not enough to get me using the software on a regular basis. Along comes...
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John's Latest In-Depth Reviews

BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220

BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 in-depth review - BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220

What’s Good: surprisingly music-friendly; external play/pause button; stereo bluetooth, standard headphone jack; UMA capable; unique form factor; slick new BB interface; more compact than other BlackBerries; still has the BB office apps that keep executives aboard, but feels like a fun phone. What’s Not Good: no GPS; weak web browsing; some lag here and there. Bottom Line: If you're looking for a strong messaging device that works with a...
Samsung Highnote

Samsung Highnote M630-Blue in-depth review - Samsung Highnote

Sprint and Samsung are unleashing the specialists this season, and the Highnote's role is obvious. It's $99.99 after rebate with a contract, and is ready for nearly all the cool services Sprint has to offer; Sprint TV, Sprint Music Store, wireless back-up, etc. It's capable of messaging and simple browsing, but the Highnote is acutely focused on music. The loud external speaker sounds great, and I've never used a phone so self-reliant in the...
Samsung Rant

Samsung Rant Black in-depth review - Samsung Rant

Replacing the Rumor as Sprint's primary texter, Rant is a messaging powerhouse. The keyboard feels great and is easy to use in light and dark environments. Every aspect of this phone is geared towards text and multimedia communications. Rant supports Sprint's TV and Music Store, so there's plenty of portable entertainment available at 3G Speeds. With stereo Bluetooth and music in the background, the phone could be a student's dream come true....
Samsung i900-Omnia At a Glance

Samsung i900-Omnia in-depth review - At a Glance

What’s Good: Universal landscape mode and universal landscape QWERTY; optically-enhanced action button functions as a scroller or track pad; appropriate use of haptic feedback and accelerometers; excellent 5 MP camera with LED flash, auto-focus and face detection; secondary cam for video calls; embedded GPS; FM radio and overall A/V-friendliness; large, welcoming and sensitive screen; it's a generally comfortable phone that makes you feel cool...
HTC Touch Diamond At a Glance

HTC Touch-Diamond in-depth review - At a Glance

What’s Good: Stunning hardware design and elegant software user interface; front panel is subdued, intuitive and refined; display is bright and sharp with excellent contrast; sensitive touch-screen; amazing orientation and localized haptic feedback capabilities; secondary camera for video calls; easy internet connection sharing; glorious font rendition. What’s Not Good: Stylus is a virtual requirement for accessing certain parts of the user...

John's Latest Forum Posts

Revolving door: T-Mo's National Exchange Center

On December 30th, I received my fourth G1. It has an issue: I have to click the menu key 3 or 4 times before the phone awakes. At this point, I realize how fortunate I am to have this problem.I pre-ordered my first Android device and got it one day early - October 21st. I didn't know it at the time, but I held a rare and true beauty for six or seven weeks. I thought all G1s were as smooth, solid, and well-constructed as my own. I was wrong....

Re: Current Phone?

Hey, ipodlover77. He has returned to the trusty iPhone.

Re: g1 font enlarging? Deaf low vision user

Hi, mlouise. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to change this setting globally. It's easy in the browser, but to change the fonts for the entire phone, you have to get into some unreliable hacking. If you want to give it a shot, download an app from the Market called Anycut. Run the app, create a new shortcut, select activity, select Display. You will now have a Display shortcut on your homescreen. Tap it, and you can select a large font,...

Re: G1

You need a minute bundle and the required data bundle - either $24.95 or $34.95, i think. There is not limit for that particular phone. Your buddy had a bad plan, apparently. It's not attached to the phone.
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John's Latest Comments

Re: Apple tosses snooty app standards, connoisseurs of frat humor cheer

The iPhone PMF app beats the hell out of the Android one. I think the Android version is a shoddy knock-off. They just share a name... and both make fart noises. :0)

Re: Android Market '08: year in review

Hey, sofit602. Video capture is coming. Hopefully soon. A flash will never come to your G1, unless you find an accessory that plugs into the HTC USB port.Go to the Market and download SnapPhoto for improved picture quality. Get Cinema to watch vids. Backgrounds and Wallpapers is an app that offers just that. Free rings: Tunes for Android Free vids: YouTubeThere are lots of other apps and sites that will give you what you want, but those...

Re: Samsung Epix: better than Fuze? (AT&T)

I stand corrected. I should get one and do another review on the Epix. Noah got a new stylus, maybe I can borrow his.... Hey!

Re: Lead-coated iPhone Nano vs. $99 1st-gen refurb

The $99 first-gens are gone. AT&T is now selling refurbished 3Gs for $99!

Re: Behold: Hack enables HTML Web browsing on Samsung Behold

Hey, jose9999999. I'm not sure if all are the same, but the one I have is set to: access name: epc.tmobile.com scroll down and put ":80" back at the end of the proxy address.
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